Earthquake Disrupts Hong Kong’s Internet

By Alice Truong

Internet users in Hong Kong may continue to experience slow Internet speeds for several weeks when visiting U.S.-based websites, after Friday’s 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan affected several submarine cables, a government telecommunications spokeswoman said Monday.

Cynthia Chan, spokeswoman for the Office of the Telecommunications Authority, said a “small portion” of Hong Kong Internet users experienced slow speeds loading web pages this past weekend due to the earthquake. Service is being rerouted to other cable systems and users should not notice any difference loading Hong Kong-based sites, she said.

But Internet traffic to some international destinations, especially the U.S., is still experiencing slower speeds due to several damaged cables that land in Japan. PCCW Ltd., which provides broadband Internet in Hong Kong, didn’t release details on the cables’ damage or how many users have been affected. The affected cables will be repaired in “the coming weeks,” the company said in a statement, and “customers may experience slower response than normal.”

In 2006, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake off the southwest coast of Taiwan, disrupted telecommunication services in Hong Kong for seven weeks, affecting long-distance and roaming phone calls as well as Internet services.